Xerilla Starlight
In all the time she'd spent being held by Rhestus Xerilla held out on to the hope that her child would be safe, but that she found herself looking up at Omega's cruel smile: Try as she might for a moment Xerilla lost what little hope she had left. He gloated in his usual fashion as a pair of combat gods dragged her between them. "You should be proud traitor your child has forced Rhestus into an alliance with eons old enemies. Only Melevar could do that, and now that old dragon has given the boy his oath." He explained his schemes as she was led through the strangely quiet streets of the Holy City: Of how Vyvra sent Oro to his death, how Ivrena influenced the Valkyrie into sending Hex into the Twelve Hells, and of the Nameless Ones' return. By the time they'd reached the outer walls of the city she found herself thankful for the two who carried her as most of her strength had left her. When Xerilla saw the legions of Nameless Ones still bound by their Chains of Fate a few even struggled against their bonds to lunge towards her.
Omega laughed as she flinched while crying out in fear before he grabbed the back of her neck with cold fingers and held her face inches away from the biting jaws of a Nameless One. When Omegab finally bored of his entertainment he threw Xerilla to the ground away from the mad gods. "You can save the boy Xerilla. Rhestus promised me that, should you turn over your Abyssal Dominion to me the boy will be free to live in peace." For a moment Xerilla believed him, but that moment passed as she remembered who was speaking to her before she replied with lips curled in disgust. "The Abyss has its heir already Omega, and he is your better in every way." Her reply brought a strike across her face that threw her back to the ground, she remained there until a familiar roar resounded on the horizon.
Her captors heard it as well as the Nameless Ones around them, and even the mad gods flinched in fear as their respective memories of Melevar came flooding back. On the golden horizon a large shadow was beginning to blot out the light around it, and a booming voice called out from it as she felt the familiar influence of the Abyss. "GODS OF ASTORIA! I OFFER YOU THIS CHANCE ONLY ONCE. FREE XERILLA OR I SWEAR THIS REALM WILL FALL BY MY HANDS!" As the voice rang out a single platinum haired figure emerged from the shadow wearing a dark armor that made it hard to focus on the figure. The smile she'd failed to notice forming on her face was suddenly frozen as Omega's cool voice replied as if he were the one in control. "Of course son. I wouldn't have it any other way truthfully..." She felt his breath on her nape as he spoke, but the stabbing pain that suddenly appeared in her chest brought her attention to the tip of an onyx blade pointing from her chest.
"Come, and pick her up off the ground boy." The last things she heard were Omega's mocking words, and the anguished scream Hex gave as the Nameless Ones were set free to charge him. When she fell time seemed to slow as the world became dark, and Xerilla heard a distant rumble before silence enveloped her.
"He wasn't lying about tearing it down you know? Even now the Heaven's forces are being introduced to the same true death as you." Xerilla knew who the voice calling out in from darkness belonged to, but she had nothing to say to Daelia: What could she offer Death? "I wish the other gods knew not to try bargaining with me, and even though their souls are marked by Hex that's not reason enough to whine like a child."
A gentle hand rested on her shoulder before Daelia spoke again. "I can't send you back to him, but I'll let you see him one last time; the least I can do for you mother." Despite the reminder of past oaths Xerilla smiled while her still heart began to ache once she saw the floating image of Hex. He cradled her in his arms as tears streamed from his eyes all the while the Nameless Ones were struggling against the army of undead dragons streaming from the great shadow beneath Hex. Without meaning to Xerilla reached out to the image, but it slowly began to fade away as she did. "With every passing moment he's gradually rising the ranks that many entering Oblivion held so highly. Rhestus, Omega, and the High Council have already fled their precious city to hide among their mortals while they recover." Daelia laughed while clapping in excitement behind Xerilla before she spoke again. "He'll find them all I'm sure, and the mortals will change when they watch the Realm of gods fall down."
Xerilla turned then to face a shorter figure hidden in shadows only revealing thin pale arms. "Daelia I'm not worried about any challengers he faces, but please promise me that you'll watch out for him. He has so few true allies, and his path will be a trying one." Daelia nodded slowly as her body swayed uncomfortably beneath Xerilla's gaze, and Xerilla turned back around to accommodate the goddess . "He, and I are promised Xerilla. I'll stand with Hex until the Realms finally fall." Daelia didn't speak again, Xerilla hadn't expected her to, and a sudden calm came over her as a peaceful dream came to her mind. She was resting on a hill as her child brought her the tiny creatures he found in the grass around them. It was a nice dream that she'd have to thank Daelia for when hey spoke again.
Elsewhere the betrayed gods send more of their Heralds to the Mortal Realm as they prepare to escape The World Below due to the Abyss Watcher's death as the bonds holding them in The World Below unravel with the traitor dead, meanwhile the Holy Twelve have fled the Golden Citadel in terror to hide among their faithful in the wintry North. In the Second Realm, to the Far East, a band of alchemists have discovered a potent means for the commoner to arm themselves, and one among them has already begun a revolution that may even reach Astoria's borders. With weakened gods the mortals will find themselves ill prepared for what's to come though their sole salvation may rest with a wrathful rogue god, and the malevolent power of Chaos.
Arturio Plixis
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He'd been waiting days for Hex to return with Eranna on that hill, and at the beginning the two of them got along until Eranna began to ignore him completely as she sat next to the old tree in a language he couldn't understand. During the afternoon he'd use his semi-godly form to gather food, but she didn't eat only waving a hand in his direction as she continued to speak with the tree like a mad woman. After a week the sky turned a dark crimson while the stars seemed to fall from the sky, and Eranna finally looked away from the tree then. As the falling stars streaked through the sky a sudden bright light forced Arturio to shut his eyes while his hand shielded them. When the light faded he opened his eyes to see two new figures standing one the hill staring down at Eranna. One was a grey skinned creature who stood in a plain brown loincloth with four large tusks protruding from their mouth, and the other looked like an elf if the elf were much taller and exuded a strange aura.
The two ignored him choosing instead to speak to Eranna in that strange language with time though he'd started to understand the language in the same way a young child might understand simple words. Arturio knew "hunt" when he heard it, but his instincts didn't warm him until he recognized Eranna say "Starlight". He approached the three then, but when he attempted to speak with Eranna directly the grey one's ever present scowl turned to a threatening snarl as he turned towards Arturio while a message appeared before his eyes.
[ Warning! The Herald of >Scorn< has recognized you as an enemy! Your task is to survive until your patron arrives. Ets unknown. ]
Before he could think his ears heard a loud clap which was followed by a large hand clasping around his throat before his body was lifted into the air. Arturio kicked against the creature's solid torso while struggled to free himself from the metal like grip cutting off his air: His vision had started to grow dark before a thin pillar of purple flame descended from the sky meters away from him. Arturio saw Hex kneeling there on a burned path of grass next to the Valkyrie from before, and a pale skinned woman with hair as dark as midnight; Arturio's patron wore a familiar armor though the carapace almost completely covered his body revealing only his face. "Release him Nek, or I'll eat your heart here and now." Arturio was surprised to feel a new pain behind Hex's voice, and then Nek spoke and Arturio could only feel rage. "Why should I listen to an abomination that failed at the one thing he set out to do."
The sound around them muted once Hex's eyes lost their color before the carapace covered his face completely with a horned mask showing only a row of sharp teeth. Nek's loosing grip finally released Arturio, but it was already too late Hex was beyond enraged. Arturio felt the wind passing before the blow landed, but the boom that resounded around him forced his hands to cover his ears as Nek flew away from the hill. Hex raised his head to the sky before he opened his mouth revealing a long tongue covered with saliva, and Arturio felt the fear of death when he roared. Arturio watched in fearful awe as Hex leapt into the sky towards Nek who'd started to pick himself up from the ground: Hex forced him back to the ground after landing on his chest. A calm voice spoke as Arturio Hex pummel Nek into the dirt until a large cloud of dust had built up. "He's still failed to learn when it's best to push buttons, but you've been blessed human: Or cursed depending on how you perceive your guardian." The fair faced elf spoke with an ugliness that made him look almost demonic to Arturio, but then a three new messages appeared in front of his eyes.
[ The Herald of >Bygone< has recognized your patron's dominion. The Herald of >Songweaver< has recognized your patron's dominion. The Herald of >Scorn< has recognized your patron's dominion. ]
The last message kept repeating itself after every thunderous blow before a deep voice called out from behind Arturio. "Enough Omega spawn he's recognized your power, and what good does beating a half dead godling do you?" The elderly man's face that had formed along the tree trunk was scowling as it stared down Hex who'd actually listened to the stranger: The next moment made the situation painfully clear to all. Hex, far too gone for reason, left the unconscious giant in the field before sprinting up the hill at an erratic pace until he'd reached the tree. The stranger had started to speak calming words of peace, and possible alliances until Hex cut him off by stabbing his fingers into the bark nearest to the stranger's face.
Their calm expression had changed to one of horror before a pained scream came from their lips as another animalistic roar came from Hex. Eranna, the tall elf, and Arturio all stood frozen in terror as Hex pulled a withered old man from out of the tree. The old man was naked save for the few patches of his skin covered with bark, and Hex pressed his foot against the back of his neck as he slowly raised his head to the sky. Arturio had almost worked up the courage to approach Hex when a hand pulled him to his knees, when he looked at the culprit Arturio was confused once again: Eranna's head was bowed low while her hand grasped tightly around Arturio's wrist, but the elf still stood glaring at the four of them with his arms crossed. When he noticed Arturio staring up at him the elf pointed a long finger towards the sky, and when Arturio's gaze noticed the Dragon-kin clad in dark crimson armor standing in the sky. One of the Dragon-kin lowered themselves until the clawed tips of their boots almost touched the hilltop. They appeared female, and their armor had an inlay of gold: After barely taking notice of them the Dragon-Kim removed the helmet from their head revealing a dark face scarred with three long lines, flowing red hair, and an overconfident smile that showed sharp teeth.
"Is this what the elders are so fearful of? A rogue dark-scale parading about like the second coming of Melevar?" The woman paraded in the air while using her hands to emote the disappointment she'd failed to express with her face as she spoke again. "So you've caught yourself a weakened old god on what appears to be his last leg, and a few minor ones. Melevar was a conqueror, a great leader that united the old clans, a savior to our people once, a monster to the gods, but above all else he was never a mindless beast." She spat to punctuate her disgust before replacing her helmet, and gesturing towards Hex with her gauntleted hand. "Come then the elders want you alive, and it's been ages since they let me out to put down an upstart." Hex seemed confused by the strange creature at first before she shouted something in the guttural language of dragons, and Hex roared again before springing into the air towards his challenger. When Arturio saw the warrior almost effortlessly redirect Hex's lung into the dirt he began to rise until he felt two cold points pressing against the back of his neck. "Smooth-skin will not move. Only watch." When Hex rose a fount of purple flames erupted from his open mouth that sped towards the woman, but again she redirected his attack back forcing Hex to narrowly avoid being burned by the uncontrolled flame. Hex's misfortunes only continued after he'd readied himself again as the woman closed the distance between them with a greater speed than his own. The deciding blow came so quickly Arturio had almost failed to see it, and in fact the system had to assist him in seeing the woman's attack at all. For the average mortal perhaps half of a moment would've passed, and the only way they'd have known what came was the thunderclap that followed the Dragon-kin's movement. As Hex fell three of the warriors descended from the sky to wrap golden chains around his now unconscious body, and they took him: Even if he was willing Arturio knew he'd fail to save Hex.